Reference no: EM133303337

Assignment: Between the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century a Columbia University Scholar by the name of John Burgess made reference to the idea of political reconstruction. Burgess made reference to the idea of political leadership in the form of a non-white politic, stating:

"In place of government by the most intelligent and virtuous part of the people for the benefit of the governed, here we [seek to establish] a government by the most ignorant and vicious part of the population... A black skin means membership in a race of [people] which has never of itself succeeded in subjecting passion to reason; has never, therefore, created civilization of any kind."

Burgess' argument hinged on an underlying principle -- non whites were not qualified either by intelligence or moral virtue to lead an organized civilization, especially one consisting of a white majority. These sentiments and many others expressed throughout the history of the U.S. have spurred concerns and beliefs that systems in the U.S. are not just unsympathetic to minorities, but ultimately seek to exclude them from participating in the political system. In April of 2021 during an interview on Fox News with Chris Wallace, Senator Lindsey Graham made the following comment in response to the question of whether there is systemic racism in the US, including policing and in other institutions:

"No. Not in my opinion. We just elected a two-term African-American president; [Barack Obama] the vice president is of African-American Indian descent [Kamala Harris]. So our systems are not racist. America is not a racist country."

Question: In many circles, this sentiment is echoed quite clearly -- America cannot be a country that is inherently and systemically racist, because we elected a minority as President twice, and a minority woman as Vice President. Given your understanding of the content in this week's module and the information covered to this point in the course,

(1) What do you make of the position offered by Senator Lindsey Graham?

(2) Moreover, are the acts that reflect racism better characterized as specific and individual, rather than symptomatic of systemic and widespread discrimination?

(3) Do you believe the sentiments of John Burgess are still part of the fabric of our American Political system and thus would explain why the diversity (race, gender, age, sexual orientation, physical ability, etc.) of the President and our elected officials has been so limited?